Monday, October 12, 2015

Should speaking English be required in America?

This may seem an odd question to ask. After all,
most of us grew up knowing no other language than English and the thought of
not knowing how to speak it seems ridiculous to us. But times have changed and there
are millions of immigrants in our country that speak little to no English.

Most people agree that anyone wishing to be a
citizen of the United States should be required to speak the English language
but that doesn’t really answer the question does it? What about foreign workers
that come to America on a temporary
work visa? Should they also be required to speak our native language?
Obviously, if a guest worker in our country is dealing with the public in some
capacity (such as a retail store clerk or a sales person) than speaking English
would be mandatory. This would be a requirement of the job itself but what
about other workers?

Let’s say for instance that a visiting laborer is
working for a construction company that is building new homes. Certainly it is
not part of his/her job description to speak English and under normal
circumstances this worker would not have any interaction with the client
whatsoever but how does the client feel about this?

The concern here is not that the laborer can or
cannot speak English but some people may feel that his/her ability to follow
directions accurately might be in question. As an example, how does a
non-English speaking person know to screw the drywall to the frame every 6
inches if they were so instructed or to do anything else in a precise manner
when told by their immediate supervisor?

The issue here is not about any type of prejudice or bias on anyone’s behalf. Perhaps
it is more about ensuring that the job is done quickly and correctly. Is it
unfair to question whether or not a worker is able to take direction in a
reasonable manner and to perform their job satisfactorily? Some people feel
that this is a requirement that all workers should be able to satisfy
regardless of whether they are a U.S. citizen or not. Still others insist that
the very mentioning of this topic is in itself a form of prejudice.

The bottom line is “Should a visiting worker be
required to achieve a basic level of English before being allowed to work in
our country?” What do you think?